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Ghula
Ghula Medium Outsider (Native, Shapechanger) Hit Dice: 6d8+6 (33 hp) Initiative: +6 Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares) Armor Class: 15 (+2 Dex, +3 natural), touch 12, flat-footed 13 Base Attack/Grapple: +6/+9 Attack: Slam +9 melee (1d6+3) Full Attack: 2 slams +9 melee (1d6+3) Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft. Special Attacks: Scare, spell-like abilities Special Qualities: Alternate form, darkvision 60 ft., fear of sanctity, immunity to charm and compulsion effects, low-light vision, invisibility, scent, shadow guise Saves: Fort +6, Ref +7, Will +7 Abilities: Str 16, Dex 15, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 15, Cha 13 Skills: Appraise +7, Bluff +7, Diplomacy +3, Climb +12, Disguise +7 (+9 acting), Hide +11, Intimidate +12, Jump +12, Listen +11, Move Silently +11, Spot +11 Feats: Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Improved Initiative (B), Mobility Environment: Warm deserts Organization: Solitary, company (2-4), band (5-20) or tribe (1-20 ghula plus 20-200 humanoids, often gnolls) Challenge Rating: 4 Treasure: Standard Alignment: Usually chaotic evil Advancement: 7-9 HD (Medium); 10-15 HD (Huge) Level Adjustment: — This horribly ugly creature is built like a lean and sinewy human, with massive spade-like hands and thick, dirt encrusted nails. Some of its features are disturbingly animalistic - large yellow eyes like a lion, hooflike feet, and a hyena's ears and fangs. Its skin is the color of red desert sand, brown soil and gray ash, mixed together in splotches and spots. Ghula are man-eating genies that have been exiled to the Material Plane. They are mostly found in desert wildernesses and lurking around graveyards. Some efreet and dao keep ghula as slaves or servants, but the majority of other genies regard ghula as despised outcasts. The name "ghula" is feminine; not because ghula are all female but because both male and female often disguise themselves as women. They find this is an excellent way to deceive their victims. These genies love the taste of humanoid flesh and spend most of their time plotting how to acquire it. A few "civilized" ghula like finely cooked humanoid meat, but the majority eat it raw. Ghula often dig up graves to eat the recently interned and steal the goods buried within. They also break into tombs, but only in search for treasure. They have no more interest in eating an old, decaying corpse than a lion would. Ghula are not irredeemably wicked, a significant minority are not evil and have conquered their lust for humanoid flesh. Most non-evil ghula are Chaotic Neutral pranksters who delight in tricks and petty theft, although their jokes can turn very dangerous if they are angered. A few ghula are even benevolent creatures who help lost pilgrims, only terrorizing wicked or impious folk.Some reformed ghula have taken up a Good- or Neutral-aligned religion. Good-aligned ghula (and some neutral ghula) have a fear of sacrilege instead of an evil ghula’s fear of sanctity; they recoil from unholy symbols or blasphemous prayers and blasphemies, and refuse to step upon ground that has been desecrated. Even evil ghula are not invariably hostile. They will associate with humanoids who share their malevolent nature, usually bandits or malevolent spellcasters. They expect their friends and allies to share their taste for humanoid flesh, anyone who refuses to join in their feast will become a meal rather than a guest. A few powerful ghula rule over entire tribes of humanoid cannibals in small, hidden kingdoms. Such “civilized” evil ghula often use id moss to drug strangers and slaves into idiocy, the witless captives are then fattened up with rich foods before being roasted and eaten. In its natural form, a typical ghula stands between 6 and 7 feet tall and weighs about 250 pounds. Ghula speak Common and Abyssal, plus one elemental language (Aquan, Auran, Ignan, or Terran). COMBAT Ghula are adept shapeshifters, able to take on the appearance of almost any living creature. Their favorite form is a hyena - either regular sized or giant. Ghula can also turn invisible in an instant and have minor power of illusion. Ghula cannot plane shift like most other genies. The preferred tactic of ghula is to assume the disguise of a friendly stranger and try to tempt a victim to a lonely spot with the promise of fine dining, pleasure or treasure. Another favorite ploy is to lure lost travelers deep into the desert using illusory fires and sounds. Alternate Form (Su): A ghula can assume the form of a hyena or a hyaenodon. Fear of Sanctity: Ghula have a pathological terror of holy objects, places and phrases. These things don't harm the ghula — they merely keep it at bay. Ghula will refuse to enter sanctified ground, and recoil from any creature that is reciting prayers (requires a DC 15 Knowledge religion check) or strongly presenting a holy symbol. Holding a ghula at bay in this fashion takes a standard action each round. A recoiling ghula must stay at least 5 feet away from the praying or symbol-holding creature, and cannot touch or make melee attacks against the creature. The recoiling ghula can attempt a DC 20 Will save to overcome its terror, but can only make one attempt per encounter. If it succeeds at the Will save, the ghula can enter the sanctified ground or attack the creature holding it at bay, but is shaken for the remainder of the encounter. If it fails the Will save it becomes frightened and flees for 1 minute. Invisibility (Su): A ghula can become invisible as a swift action, as per the spell invisibility (caster level 15th) with an unlimited duration. The invisibility ends if the ghula attacks. A ghula can become visible as a free action. Scare (Su): As a move-equivalent action, a ghula can become a horrible, misshapen apparition for a fraction of a second. This alone is usually sufficient to terrify foes into cooperation or flight (treat as a Bluff or Intimidate check with a +3 bonus). As a standard action, it can intensify this ability to produce an unsettling effect which works like a scare spell from a 9th-level caster (Will DC 14 partial). A creature that successfully saves cannot be affected again by the same ghula's scare ability for 24 hours. Ghula are not affected by the scare attacks of other ghula. This is a supernatural, sight-based, mind-affecting fear effect. The save DC is Charisma-based. Shadow Guise (Su): A ghula can take on the form of any living, corporeal creature from two sizes smaller than itself to two sizes larger. Thus a Medium ghula can assume a form of Tiny to Huge size. Although this guise looks, sounds and smells real, the changes to its body are mostly quasi-real illusion, similar to creatures created by a shadow conjuration spell. The ghula's stats do not change except as follows: It gains the Aquatic subtype or the amphibious special quality if it takes the form of a creature with those traits; it gains the natural movement rates of its new form; it applies the size adjustments of its new form to its grapple checks, AC, attacks and skill checks; the damage caused by its attacks is reduced if it diminishes in size, but does not increase it it enlarges itself. Shadow guise gives a ghula a +10 bonus on its Disguise checks. Spell-Like Abilities: At will—ghost sound (DC 11), minor image (DC 12). Caster level 6th. The save DCs are Charisma-based. Originally appeared in Dragon Magazine #138 (1988). Category:Outsiders